FHE Monday: Nursery Lesson #9

I'm not sure that the lesson was about Heavenly Father having a body as much as it was teaching GB that he has a body, but who cares, right? Learning is learning!

Opening Song: I Am a Child of God

Activity: Sing “Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes” a few times. Our head and shoulders and eyes and ears (etc) make up our body!

Who has a body? Does GB have a body? Does Daddy have a body? Does Mommy have a body?

Show a picture of Jesus. Does Jesus have a body? (Yes!)

Who else has a body? (Heavenly Father)

Scripture Story: Show a picture of the First Vision, where Joseph sees Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. Briefly tell the story of the First Vision.

The blip from the manual:

When Joseph Smith was a boy (point to Joseph in the picture), he prayed to Heavenly Father. Something wonderful happened. Joseph saw Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ (point to Heavenly Father and Jesus in the picture). They came and spoke to Joseph. Joseph saw that Heavenly Father has a body like we do. Heavenly Father has arms. Do you have arms? Show me your arms. Heavenly Father has hands. Do you have hands? Show me your hands. Heavenly Father has a face. Do you have a face? Touch your face. You are a real person. Heavenly Father is a real person. He created your body. You have a body like Heavenly Father’s.

Activity Verse: (This was great for us tonight because GB was super wiggly.)

From the manual:

I have a special body

Heavenly Father gave to me. (touch hands to chest)

He gave me ears so I might hear (cup hand around ear)

And eyes that I might see. (point to eyes)

He gave me hands so I can clap, (clap hands)

Two feet that turn around. (turn around)

And when I want, I touch my toes (bend over and touch toes)

Way down upon the ground.

When I think about my body, (put finger to head)

The best part of it is

That Heavenly Father planned it

To look very much like His. (sit down quietly)

Conclusion: Emphasize that we have a body like Heavenly Father. (Or at the very least, that they have a body.)

End with brief testimonies.

 The winter weather means it's more difficult to get outside which means that GB is stuck inside and loaded with energy--one this pregnant mama can't keep up with! I was reminded that over-exaggerating things really helps keep the attention of these little ones. "Heavenly Father has arms! Do you have arms? Where? Really?? *gasp* Your arms are just like Heavenly Father's!" He thinks it's funny and it keeps him engaged. Even better if we draw Daddy in and make him do silly stuff too! 

Also, don't forget that there are always more ideas in the nursery manual!

Gummy Bear: Smarty Pants Update

Guys, I don't even know what to do this with kid anymore! He is such a smarty pants, and it's because he chooses to be. He tries to be a big kid, and I try to encourage him whenever I can. It's funny how he knows some things but not others, he is so opinionated about everything!

Gummy Bear knows his ABC's, and has for quite some time. He sings the song, knows them on sight, and does pretty well with lowercase letters too. Counting is good too, he can count from one to twenty pretty well and is picking up counting objects (when he chooses to anyways--sometimes he doesn't even try!). Shapes? He's got shapes, from triangles and circles to rectangles and stars. Colors? The entire rainbow and then some. When we are out he'll point out the "orange digger"; this morning he was showing me the blue and red flowers on my comforter. He obviously still makes mistakes--d and b look the same, and he skips four and five/fourteen and fifteen when he's counting, pink and purple are mixed up... but that's probably a good thing hahaha!

He loves construction machines, followed closely by tractors and trains. And animals. He knows the basic parts of a digger and other machines-- "Where's the bucket? Where's the boom arm? Where's the cab? Where's the tracks?" We have been checking out simple nonfiction books about cranes, diggers, bulldozers, tractors, trains, firetrucks, cats, dogs, horses, cows... he loves them, and brings them to me just as often as other stories. He'll come to me and ask me to help him find his tanker truck (cement truck), dump truck, flatbed trailer... When we drive down the road he points out all the "big trucks" (semi trucks). If the firetrucks go down the road he runs up to me and announces it. Sometimes he gets distracted getting into the car and stops to point out the wheels on our car and the cars parked next to us.

 Bob the Builder is his favorite show (the old version... the animated ones are creepy). He liked Thomas the Tank Engine, but Bob trumps all. He fights me on diaper changes, but if Bob will be involved afterwards then he's all over it. (Paw Patrol is a close second.) He sings the theme song while he's playing (whether that's at home or in sacrament meeting...). He picked up his toy remote and pretended it was a phone, and he got a call from Farmer Pickles... later that day we were watching Bob and the scene he imitated came on! When Husband Man gets his tools out, GB is enthralled. He spent half an hour "sawing" his shoes apart the other day.

Husband Man taught him "left foot" and "right foot" when he put GB's shoes on, and GB has latched on to that concept. This morning when I was putting in my contacts he came in and announced that I was poking my left eye. When we go for a walk I can tell him to turn left or right at the corner and he usually goes that direction. He loves it when I narrate where we are going while we drive: "Now we are turning left. Then we will go straight, and stop at the stop sign. Now we will turn right. Oh, the light is red. We have to wait for it to turn green, and then we can turn left." He points out when we are going around a curve, up or down a hill, and under a bridge. The other day he cried because I wasn't going to go up the hill, and another time he cried because I didn't turn left..

 I found some nursery rhymes online that I pull up for him sometimes. It has songs about letters, counting, colors, seasons, etc, but also your standards like Head Shoulders Knees and Toes, Old MacDonald Had a Farm, and Wheels on the Bus. He LOVES them. He cries when they're over. I find him singing the songs on his own, too. Last night he was laying in bed singing Itsy Bitsy Spider; when he's driving his cars across the couch I'll hear him singing "round and round, round and round... wheels a bus... round and round..." He picked them up quickly, and remembers them well. He does the same with books he loves, too. A few of the books I've brought home from the library he's made me read multiple times a day until they go back, and then he tells them himself even after they're gone. He just "read" Train Man and Digger Man to me this afternoon, because he has them memorized.

 "The itsy bitsy spider crawled up the water spout..."

Opposites are also a thing. Up and down, big and small, loud and soft... My favorite is when he is reading a book about diggers or something, and he points out "Small digger... BIG DIGGER!" He has a board book of opposites and he "reads" it to me on his own. He points out when his carseat is hot or cold, that the airplane is hiiiigh in the sky...

I love this little guy. He keeps me on my toes, whether it's chasing after him or amazing me with something else he's picked up, either from us or the other kids we hang out with. He imitates everything and everyone, but only does things when he wants to and not a day sooner. After he picked up his letters and numbers, I tried to keep him going with shapes... nothing, until a couple months later he started pointing them out on his own. His speech is pretty good, I'm sure it'll dramatically increase when we are around family over the holidays, but his stubborn streak goes there too. He still says "nilk" even though I know he can say "milk"--and I'm pretty sure he says it wrong just because I get after him for it! He is such a (smart) little stinker. I love him so much!

FHE Monday: Nursery Lesson #8

I used one of the optional activities to start this lesson because it tied into lesson 7.

Lesson 8: Sunday Is a Day to Remember Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ

Opening Song: My Heavenly Father Loves Me

Review: Show the picture from last week and talk about the things that Heavenly Father had Jesus create. Explain that it took Jesus six days to make the world.

Read Genesis 2:2 – Emphasize that Jesus rested on the seventh day.

Activity: On six days of the week we work. Act out different types of work, such as sweeping, cleaning, digging, etc. On the seventh day we rest—this is Sunday, the Sabbath.

Lesson: On Sunday we go to church! March around (as though walking to church) and sing “Fun To Do”-- Going to church is fun to do, Fun to do, to do, to do! Going to church is fun to do, To do, to do, to do!

Sit down again. When we are at church, we learn about Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. (Show a picture of Father and Christ.) We want to remember them. Sing (probably a few times) the first line of “Reverently, Quietly”--Reverently, quietly, lovingly we think of thee. We want to be reverent so we can remember Jesus.

Stand up and “march home” (without singing, be brief). When we are home on Sunday, we still want to remember Heavenly Father and Jesus. Act out different types of activities, such as reading scriptures, praying, and showing love for each other (service). Sing “A Happy Family”--I love mother; she loves me. We love daddy, yes sirree; He loves us, and so you see, We are a happy family.

Conclusion: Sunday is a day to remember Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ at church and at home with our families. End with brief testimonies.

We didn't have FHE this last week because I had to do a three-hour glucose test and I was so tired that I forgot. (That test was no bueno... thank goodness I passed.) Being pregnant isn't helping me stay on top of things! But I can't wait for another little one to teach the Gospel to. I bet Gummy Bear will love teaching her!

FHE Monday: Nursery Lesson #7

 Gummy Bear is always excited for Family Home Evening. Have I said that before? Because he is. "It's time for Family Home Evening!" and he comes running over and sits down on the floor.

When I do these lessons, I use and abuse (gently) my husband. Guys are goofy. So I totally ask him to do big movements and reactions to help keep GB's attention.

Lesson 7: Jesus Christ Created the World for Me

Opening Song: My Heavenly Father Loves Me

Lesson: Genesis 1:1 reads, “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” Have GB repeat the scripture.

Show a picture of the earth. Heavenly Father had Jesus create the earth and everything in it. Jesus created the sun, moon, and stars.

Show a picture of animals and plants. Point out the trees, leaves, rocks, etc. and explain that Jesus made those. Point out the different animals; explain that Jesus made the animals as well.

Jesus made all these things because He loves us and wants us to be happy!

Songs:

The World Is So Big (Children's Songbook, page 235)

All Things Bright and Beautiful (Children's Songbook, page 231)

Conclusion: Express gratitude for the beautiful world. End with brief testimonies.

"Let's sing a song! What song should we sing?"

"Am Child God!"

"I was hoping you would say that!"

The other day when we were feeding the sister missionaries dinner, he stood on the chair and hollered "Am child God!" over and over again until I heard what he was saying. So I started singing it:

"I am a child of..."

"God."

"And he has sent me..."

"here"

"Has given me an..."

"earfee home"

"with parents kind and..."

"dear!"

"Lead me, guide me..."

"Walk side me"

"Help me find the..."

"way"

"Teach me all that I must..."

"do"

"To live with him some..."

"day. RAYY!" and he jumps off the chair.

SO CUTE. He tries to finish the sentence on pitch, too. I love this guy so much.

FHE Monday: Nursery Lesson #6

This week's lesson is kind of short and sweet, very to-the-point. If your child is older than two, you may want to look at the entire lesson for ideas on how to lengthen this just a bit and talk about the Holy Ghost a little more.

Lesson 6: The Holy Ghost Helps Me

Opening Song: I Know My Father Lives

Lesson: Repeat the word “Spirit”. Another word for Spirit of God is the Holy Ghost--repeat “Holy Ghost”. The Holy Ghost helps us know that Heavenly Father loves us.

Story: The Holy Ghost can help us when we are afraid. Tell the following story:

“One day there was a bad storm outside David’s house. There was loud thunder (cover your ears) and lots of wind (have children blow to mimic the wind) and rain (mimic the rain with your fingers). David was afraid. His mother told him that when she is afraid she prays to Heavenly Father (fold your arms as if saying a prayer). David and his mother prayed that Heavenly Father would keep them safe. Then David felt safe and happy. His mother said that Heavenly Father had sent the Holy Ghost to give him those feelings so he wouldn’t be afraid.”

Activity: The Holy Ghost can help us do what is right. Role play doing good things that help you feel the Spirit, such as giving hugs, sharing toys, reading scriptures, etc. (Have Jeran imitate Daddy.)

Conclusion: Practice saying “Holy Ghost” and/or “The Holy Ghost can help me”. End with brief testimonies.

 This week when I said it was time for Family Home Evening, GB plopped right down on the floor and waited for Husband Man and I to join him. It was so precious, and I hope he always wants to have FHE with us! I'm grateful that these lessons are helping us to learn together as a family.

I also have great ideas for future FHE series-- what about using Preach My Gospel? Or the For Strength of Youth pamphlet? More and more I feel so impressed to start young with my children, to instill in them as early as possible a love and desire for the Gospel. It is never too late--or too early! I love the Gospel!

FHE Monday: Nursery Lesson #5

I forgot to post last week's Family Home Evening! Whoops.

Lesson 5: Jesus Christ Showed Us How to Love Others

*Prepare pictures and have your scriptures with you.*

Opening Song: I'm Trying to Be like Jesus

Scripture Story 1: Jesus feeds the multitude (Matthew 14:13-21)

(Make sure you have your scriptures, even if you don't read from them.)

“Many people had come to hear Jesus teach. They were there a long time and got

very hungry (have the children pretend to be hungry). There was only a little bread

and fish to feed all of the people. Jesus blessed the food and told His disciples to

give it to the people. Everyone had enough to eat, and there was a lot of food left

over (have the children pretend to eat).”

Say together/repeat: Jesus showed us how to love others.

Scripture Story 2: Jesus heals the blind man (John 9:1-12)

(Present picture of this miracle.)

“One day Jesus saw a man who was blind—he could not see (have the children cover

their eyes). Jesus blessed the man so he could see (have the children uncover their eyes).

Say together/repeat: Jesus showed us how to love others.

Scripture Story 3: Jesus blessed the children. (3 Nephi 17:21-24)

(Present picture of this story.)

“After Jesus was resurrected, He visited the Nephites. Because He loved the children,

He blessed each one of them (have the children hug themselves).”

Say together/repeat: Jesus showed us how to love others.

Conclusion: Sing the chorus of “I'm Trying to Be like Jesus”. End with brief testimonies.

I'm noticing that as I give the lesson, if Husband Man theatrically animates the stories I tell then it keeps Gummy Bear engaged a bit better. Don't worry if you feel stupid while you do it--they love exaggerations!

If you have trouble keeping your child engaged, then actually reading the entire lesson in the Nursery Manual can help. They often have helpful hints scattered in their lessons.

The Missing Wedding Ring

We had been married no less than a year, maybe two, still attending college. We had a decent-sized apartment and were living off of government grants, Husband Man's meager salary, and five dollar pizzas. Our life wasn't overly busy, but there was one day where Husband Man realised he had somehow misplaced his wedding ring.

It was afternoon, and we spent a good chunk of it searching for the ring. We treasure our wedding rings and their symbolism, so we certainly wanted it back sooner rather than later. Living room, kitchen, bathroom, bedroom-- even the large vent in the floor outside the bathroom, and the two extra bedrooms upstairs... pockets of all the dirty clothes turned inside out... places that made sense, and places that didn't... no ring. Nothing. I felt heartbroken as we wondered whether it was even in the house.

Finally we sat down to pray. I remember we had the thought, and knelt right there on the cool tile of the front entryway. Husband Man said the prayer, and asked Father in Heaven for help to find this ring because it meant so much to us. He ended the prayer, and got up to search again. I just knelt there, arms still folded. Where on earth could it be?

Then I stood, and wandered back into the bathroom. He had taken a shower that morning, and usually left the ring on the counter. Almost without thinking I reached down into the little trash can that sat on the floor by the cabinet. I moved a few tissues and revealed Husband Man's wedding ring, nestled right in the trash. I snatched it up--thank goodness we had looked then instead of waiting for it to turn up! We would have thrown the trash (and the ring) out and been none the wiser. We knelt right away and said a prayer of Thanksgiving.

Shortly after the incident I found a small dish to put on the bathroom counter where we could put rings when they weren't being worn.

Fast forward three or four years, to about a week ago. We have just celebrated five years together, with one (ridiculously adorable) son and a baby on the way. We have lived in no less than four different apartments. The ring dish was replaced by a different one that could also hold my earrings--but it was still keeping rings safe during showers.

I've picked up the habit of taking my rings off when I'm in the kitchen. I rinse my fingers often when I'm cooking or baking, and my wedding ring especially sort of holds water and leaves my finger wet for a while. I'll remove it and lay it on the counter to dry, and then put it back on when I come across it next. If Husband Man is home, he'll usually pick it up and take them to the dish in the bathroom (which is where they should go, really).

At some point on Sunday evening I had taken the rings off, and never gotten around to finding them again. It wasn't until I was getting to leave the house Monday afternoon that I realised I wasn't wearing my wedding ring. No problem--I went to the bathroom, where I knew I would find it. All my rings were there... except my wedding ring. A spark of panic lit in my stomach. I rushed to the kitchen, but I had just finished cleaning it and hadn't come across the ring. Oh no, what if it was in the garbage disposal?? Can't look now, I'm supposed to be leaving... I dashed around the house, pleading in my heart to find the ring, but no luck. I took GB to the science center without my ring.

Husband Man came home, and asked if I had found the ring. I told him I hadn't, and ended up being more emotionally upset than was probably necessary (thanks, pregnancy). He calmed me down and sent me to the store with GB while he searched the house. The hour I was gone I kept telling myself he would find the ring--he finds lots of things. When I returned home, the only thing he had found was a missing screwdriver (thanks, GB). I again felt heartbroken. I love my wedding ring, how could I have lost it?

Trying to pray in my heart while I searched wasn't enough. I finally went into the bedroom and knelt down before my Heavenly Father. Whenever I pray, I know I'll receive an answer... but I often doubt that I'll understand the answer, that I'm somehow incapable of getting it. A scripture we had just talked about in companion study popped into my head--from Alma, where he is teaching the people and says something to the effect of, "If you have no more than a desire to believe, a tiny seed, then the Lord will hear you." In a "help thou my unbelief" moment, I pleaded with Father to not only help me receive an answer, but to overcome my weakness. I needed to know where my ring was, it was so important to me.

I ended the prayer, but before I could have time to ponder an answer GB came running in and found me. Trusting that Heavenly Father would help me, I put the matter in His hands. He had helped me before; He would do it again. I helped GB with his toys, and then went back to the kitchen to finish cleaning up. Again, I went through in my mind where I had been over the last 24 hours, when I might have taken the ring off... the kitchen was the only place I thought of...

Then I remembered Husband Man's habit of picking up after me. Every once in a while he'll put the ring in his pocket before he gets to the bathroom. I asked him if it was possible the ring was in his pants pocket. He replied that he didn't think so, but if it would help me feel better he would go and look in his pockets from yesterday. After a few minutes he came into the kitchen--the ring had been in his pocket the entire time. He felt bad, but I was just happy it was found. I hugged him and thanked him, (I knew he was happy too). Then I quickly went back to the bedroom to say a prayer of thanksgiving. My heart swelled with joy and gratitude that my Father in Heaven had heard me and answered my prayer.

I know that Heavenly Father watches out for me, and my family. I know He loves me, and also each one of His children. I'm so grateful to know that He wants me to be happy, and will help me with the things that are truly important to me--even if it is just a wedding ring.

FHE Monday: Nursery Lesson #4

I love these nursery lessons. There's something about teaching the simplest, most basic truths of the Gospel that really resounds within my heart. I know that these principles are true!

Lesson 4: Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ Love Me

Opening Song: I Feel My Savior's Love (Children's Songbook 74-75)

Lesson: Many people love you. Use the family photo book to go through and show all the people that love GB.

Show a picture of Heavenly Father and Jesus. Emphasize that they love GB too.

Scripture Story:

Show the picture of Jesus blessing the children. Open the scriptures and summarize the story of Jesus blessing each of the children, because He loves them. [3 Nephi 17:11-12, 21-24 ..... I just read verses 11 and 21. He doesn't sit still much longer than that!]

Activity: Beanbag game!

Sit together and toss the beanbag. Use the phrases “Heavenly Father loves ___” and “Jesus loves ___”.

[This is also a great time to review previous concepts, such as "I know a child of God named ____!" Plus it makes the game a little longer, which GB loves (so did my sunbeams, for that matter).]

Conclusion: End with brief testimonies.

Lately I have been more aware of how much my Father in Heaven loves me and wants me to succeed. I hope that I can continue to align my life so that I can always feel that love and support from Him. Holding Family Home Evening certainly helps, even if it is only five minutes long!

FHE Monday: Nursery Lesson #3

GB decided to cut a molar over the weekend (overnight, actually) and he's been feeling crummy all week. This pushed FHE back to Wednesday, but I stuck to my guns and we still held it this week! I'm very happy about this.

Lesson 3: I Can Pray to Heavenly Father

*Prepare objects or pictures to correspond with “Please bless us” and “We thank Thee” (things you are grateful for and things you could ask for in prayer).*

Opening Song: I Pray In Faith (Children's Songbook 14)

Lesson: Use the opening song to teach this lesson. Raise your fingers for each part of the verse, as though you were counting.

I begin by saying “Dear Heavenly Father”

Show the picture of Jesus praying when He was a child. Jesus is talking to Heavenly Father.

Have Daddy act out getting ready to pray. He kneels down, folds him arms, closes his eyes. Daddy is ready to talk to Heavenly Father. Can you do it too?

Sing the first line, (while holding your first finger up). Have everyone repeat “Dear Heavenly Father”.

I thank him for blessings he sends

Have everyone repeat “We thank Thee”.

Present the objects or pictures for “We thank Thee”. Take turns choosing one, and practicing praying for it. (For example: selecting a picture of Jesus and then saying “We thank Thee for Jesus”.)

Then humbly I ask him for things that I need

Have everyone repeat “Please bless us”.

Present the objects or pictures for “Please bless us”. Take turns choosing one, and practicing asking for it in prayer. (For example: selecting a picture of a happy face and then saying “Please bless us to be happy”.)

In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen

Show a picture of Jesus. We end our prayers with the name of Jesus Christ.

Have everyone repeat “In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen”.

Conclusion: Sing the entire song again. End with (short) testimonies.

We actually sang "I Am a Child of God" as our opening song because GB asked for it, which I'm totally fine with. He loved to pull the objects out of the bag, and it was adorable to watch him announce what it was. "What did Daddy find in the bag?" "A band-aid!" SO cute!

The nursery lesson also suggests that you teach them even at this age to use prayer speech (Thee, Thy, Thine, etc). That wasn't the focus of my lesson this time because let's face it--he's two, and can barely say "thank you" (day-doo) let alone "thank thee". I figured that we could work on it when he can speak better. It really just depends on what you feel you should do--you're the parent/teacher.

 It was late, but it was done. I'm starting to like FHE... planning the lessons in advance (from another lesson, no less) makes me feel prepared, which makes me want to hold FHE (no way I'm letting that prep go to waste!). I love learning the Gospel together as a family, too--that is something so precious to me.

FHE Monday: Nursery Lesson #2

We are two lessons in, and so far GB has been more receptive than I thought he would be. I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop... but maybe he really is a smartie-pants and he actually likes this stuff.

You'll need to plan a few minutes in advance because you'll need to find some pictures to show as you sing the song. I got all of my pictures from lds.org's image library. There you can find the Gospel Art that the church uses in Primary and such. (I downloaded them to the desktop, and renamed the files 1, 2, 3, etc, so that they showed up in the right order. Then we sat around the computer and I clicked through the images as we went through the song.) I used just five images-- one of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, one of the earth, one of Adam and Eve teaching their children (or you could use a family photo), one of Moses holding the ten commandments, and one of Jesus Christ.

Lesson 2: Heavenly Father Has a Plan for Me

*Prepare pictures to go with each section of the song, so they can be shown as the song is sung.*

Opening Song: I Lived in Heaven

We lived with Heavenly Father before we were born.

Song/Lesson: I Am a Child of God

I am a child of God,

And he has sent me here.

Heavenly Father sent us to earth to live. Shout “Hooray!”

Has given me an earthly home

With parents kind and dear.

Heavenly Father gave us our family so we would be happy. Family group hug!

Lead me, guide me, walk beside me,

Help me find the way.

Heavenly Father gave us commandments so we can be happy and safe.

Following Jesus can help us return to Heavenly Father.

Teach me all that I must do

To live with him someday.

Sing the entire song again, showing the pictures all together as you go.

Conclusion: If we are good, we can return to live with Heavenly Father again.

End with testimonies.

The best part about these toddler FHE lessons is that they're short and sweet. They have to be, otherwise you lose their attention. But the message is still present, and they still learn something, and the spirit is felt! My favorite part was when I showed the picture of Jesus, and GB interrupted me (more than once) to point and exclaim, "Jesus!" I want him to always be excited and happy about his Savior!

FHE Monday: Nursery Lesson #1

I think I am going to stop numbering Family Home Evening posts. It's a little depressing. We've only held 10 FHE's this year. 10.

On the other hand... that's ten more than last year...

I saw an idea somewhere about using the nursery manual for FHE, and I really liked that idea. GB is getting old enough that he is starting to pick up on things, and I want him to love the Gospel. No lesson is more basic than the nursery lessons!

Lesson 1: I Am a Child of God

Begin with opening song and a prayer.

Song: I Am a Child of God

Repeat the first two lines, I am a child of God / And he has sent me here

We sang the first two lines about three times. By the third he had scootched next to us to see what we were doing.

Scripture Story: Moses

From the manual: "Show the illustration of Moses on page 99 (you may want to cover the other illustrations on this page to help the children focus on Moses). Explain that Moses was a great prophet who lived a long time ago. Tell the children that Moses went to a mountain to pray. Invite the children to pretend to climb a mountain; then have them fold their arms as if praying. Open the Pearl of Great Price to Moses 1:4 and say, “God said to Moses, ‘Behold, thou art my son.’ ” Explain that Moses learned that he was a child of God."

I had Husband Man act out the basic story. He was very theatrical; GB appreciated it!

Activity: Bean bag game

This is a game that I picked up while I was teaching sunbeams, and the kids love it. You sit in a circle, and gently toss the beanbag to someone. When they catch it, you say "[Name] is a child of God!" and then they toss it to another child and you say it with their name. GB thought this was great, and played it more than I thought. By the end of the game, he was trying to say "child of God" and that made my heart happy.

With older kids I can switch the phrase around to “I know a child of God named [Name]!" and they say their own name as they catch the beanbag.

Conclusion: Everyone is a child of God

A while ago I made a little photo album with pictures of GB's extended family so he could learn about them. We pulled that out and pointed to each person, stating that they, too, were each children of God.
We made sure to end with testimonies.
And a closing song and prayer, of course.


The best part was that he actually payed attention, at least as much as could be expected from a two-year-old. I know this might not always be the case, but I also know that there was a special spirit in our home after we held FHE. The Lord is mindful of us, and as we try to do what He asks of us we will be blessed!

What I've Learned About Cleaning

A while back I shared a cleaning schedule I made to help me keep my house tidy and under some semblance of control. I wasn't perfect at following it, but when I did it was great. I knew when the towels and sheets had been washed, when I had dusted, that things were getting taken care of. It helped Husband Man, because when Saturday rolled around he could see what I had or hadn't done. Our small apartment was kept clean! (Or as clean as you can get with a toddler...)

Then it came time for our (yearly) move. We found a cheaper place with a larger living space; it was perfect for our growing family. We could have our kitchen table back, which meant less food was consumed in the living room (and therefore there was less mess). But for some reason the cleaning schedule wasn't working for me anymore. Laundry was taking longer and longer to finish. More floorspace meant more pep-talking myself into vacuuming. And being pregnant means I have even less of a desire to do those things that I already didn't like...

A couple of weeks ago someone suggested a website called Habitica to us. At first glance it looks silly and stupid... but for us, it worked. I could put daily things to do, like exercise and drink water, but I could also include habits (like housecleaning) and to-do lists, for those chores and tasks that popped up outside of any cleaning regimen. As we've been using this site, we find motivation to complete tasks instead of ending our day in a guilty stupor in front of a computer screen. And as things get done, I've learned some things...

Effort breeds effort.
Husband Man took to Habi like a fish to water. It was pretty much exactly what he needed to motivate himself to have less computer time and more productive time. And I think it's better for him, too-- he can accomplish things that have been bothering him, in a more timely manner, and he feels more immediately accomplished (than his job allows right now). This makes him feel in control, and much better. And when he does those tasks, it makes me want to complete mine so we can both feel proud of what we have done.

Cleaning by example helps.
The dailies list helps me to remember to do little tasks every day, things that shouldn't be difficult and take too much time and effort, but are constantly overlooked. I have things like checking my email, reading scriptures, and tidying the bedroom(s). Husband Man started making the bed every day, but we both have a bad habit of just throwing our clothes on the floor. I would always put off cleaning it up, until it consumed the floor. I added the bedrooms to my dailies list, which meant that the bedroom was always clean AND when I went to put my clothes away at night, I would take the extra two seconds to put them either back in the drawer or in the dirty clothes. Less to clean up in the morning means a free pass on the 'tidying bedroom(s)' task! After about a week of this, I noticed that I was picking up less of Husband Man's clothes, too. As I took better care of the room, he wanted to take better care of it too.

Daily tidying up makes a HUGE difference.
Tidying the bedroom, loading the dishwasher every day, and making a round to just pick up clutter-- if you are ever on pinterest, you've surely come across that ten-minute clean-up tip or the two minute rule I shared in my previous cleaning post. There's a reason it's out there: it works. Picking up clutter helps toward a clean house. It just makes you feel better. And doing it every day keeps it from piling up, so it's easier to accomplish. Couple this with the previous thought, and now you have at least two people possibly working to keep the house tidy. I call that a win-win!

If a task as-written doesn't help you accomplish it, then change how you do it.
Let's talk laundry. On my previous schedule I did it every two weeks. We all had enough clothes, so it worked... mostly. If you counted the fact that after two weeks I had at least four large loads to do, and it took me at least half the week to actually complete it. But I stuck to it. It didn't make sense to me to do a load every day, and weekly laundry seemed even more tedious.
But since we moved to the new place, over the last three weeks I've just done laundry every week. I mean, I kind of have to--I only have about a week's worth of maternity shirts that currently fit. But I find that I actually like it better. Doing a week's worth of laundry means that I have less to wash; less to wash means I have fewer and smaller loads. For the first time in forever I did the laundry in one day. ONE DAY, people. Washed, dried, and folded. The end. And when I crawled into bed that night? It felt really good. (On a side note, we apparently need more hangers.)

Sometimes, you've just got to force yourself to create a habit.
I have always struggled to read my scriptures. That's the chink in my spiritual armor. When we first moved away from college, I begged Husband Man to let us have cable so I could amuse myself while staying home with a baby. The problem was, I would catch myself turning the tv on first thing in the morning... so I told myself I couldn't watch tv until I had done my scripture study. At face value that sounds awful. As a child of God, who is trying to do what is right, I shouldn't need to force myself to read the word of God on a daily basis, right?? But I had to force myself to do it. As I did, I found myself wanting to read, and watching less tv. It built that desire.
The same thing has come with other habits. Placing them on Habi has helped me to just do them. Lately I find myself decluttering as I go--I made GB a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, and instead of leaving everything out on the counter, jars open, I caught myself putting them away after using them. (Which is a two-fold blessing... the house is cleaner on a more regular basis, which means Husband Man isn't slightly aggravated when he comes home and cleans up all my messes.)

I'm super happy that this is working for us now. In just a couple of weeks Husband Man and I have accomplished so much. And what makes me even happier is that we are setting an example for Gummy Bear. It doesn't do anything to ask him to put his toys and books away when the kitchen is covered in dishes and the bedrooms in clothes-- that's counterproductive. I'm super excited that we finally have a new schedule under our belts, and that we can continue to progress as a family.
Make a list, find your motivation, and then, as the scriptures say, "Go and do!"

Gummy Bear: 2 Years!

Holy moly, time flies. Especially when you're pregnant and feel yucky. Now that that's passed, I remembered the birthday questionnaire I had. So it's two months late, but at least I remembered!

How old: 2!

Favorite foods: fruit snacks, raisins, cheese

Favorite dessert: chocolate (m&m's, chocolate chips), marshmallows

Favorite color: green (at least, this is the one color he recognizes by name)

Favorite book: ABC and numbers books (at the time of his b-day--now it's Train Man and Digger Man)

Favorite tv show: Paw Patrol, Thomas the Tank Engine

Favorite game: ???

Favorite Song: Follow the Prophet, Itsy Bitsy Spider

Favorite animal: kitty cat

Favorite toy: wooden train set

What do you want to be when you grow up: ???

What do you do really well: scream (ohhh he is SO loud...)

What do you like to do with your family: roughhouse with Daddy!!

Gummy Bear is a VERY busy boy. He keeps me on my toes, like any good two-year-old boy. He's as tall as an average three-year-old (which confuses the other kids, they have trouble remembering he's younger than they are), and still in the top percentiles. Funny story: His normal pediatrician is out on maternity leave, so we saw another ped for his 2yr appointment. She obviously didn't know he has always been in the 95% for weight, because when she saw that she gave me the childhood obesity lecture! "No juice, no 2% milk, lots of veggies, lots of playtime..." Yeah, ok, whatever. Have you seen my child?? He is not fat! Not even close. Thank goodness I was in a great mood that day, or I would have panicked. Just smile and wave, just smile and wave.

I love this picture because it sums him up nicely. Gotta have that binky (but only at bedtime...). Love that kitty. Fuzzy blankets are essential. Bruises, scrapes, and bandaids on his knees, and often on his arms and head. I feel like he's maybe accident-prone like his mama, but I suppose it's still too early to tell what's genetics and what is plain ol' little boy!

This block table showed up at our library and he enjoys playing with it. The first half a dozen times he insisted on sorting the blocks as best he could, and if the other kids came and tried to build on the wrong color, he got very upset. He's doing better about actually playing with the blocks for fun, but this still cracks me up. I have found his own mega blocks laying on the floor, stacked together by size and color. He eats his fruit snacks by color too, if he can see them all.

"Hewo!" (Oh, how I am going to miss that gap-toothed grin!) His speech is finally catching up as well. He says some things goofy, like "nilk", "nore", and "peesh" (milk, more, and sheep) but we're working on it. I can hear him singing songs, and he's steadily getting better at asking for things. I hope the crazy tantrums slow down after we reach a certain point, I think he gets frustrated that he can't communicate everything to me. He'll run up to me and garble a bunch of stuff and end it with a word he knows-- "Mama, aslekaf;skldfjjsdf snack?" Sometimes he sounds like he's oriental or something, when he garbles really quickly!

He knows his ABC's, and numbers 1-12. He knows a few shapes (circle for sure), the color green, and is absolutely in love with trains. We watch a decent amount of Thomas the Tank Engine, and he plays with his wooden train set diligently every day. A step behind trains are diggers and other construction vehicles--there's a bank being built by Husband Man's work and every day when we pick him up we have to drive by so GB can see the diggers. I've been getting him some basic nonfiction books about diggers and trains and they're the first ones to come off the shelf each day. He's definitely a smartie pants!

I love this kid and what he's taught me. I know he's going to be a great big brother!

"A car!"

I think the funniest thing about raising a kid is that you're busy, but not always in a running-around-going-here-and-there-things-to-do kind of way... Instead you're always watching him to make sure he stays out of trouble, trying to remember to teach him words while you are loading the dishwasher ("A boh!" "No, that's a cup." "A kuh!" "Good job!"), and pushing certain chores and activities aside because let's face it--folding laundry while your kid jumps on it and throws it around just isn't very fun. (Well, not for you anyways.)

It also means I forget how long it's been since I posted on here. Not that terribly many people read it, I don't think, but it's still writing practice and typing is much easier than hand writing so I get at least a little journaling in...

I've been hearing a lot about cars over the last couple of days. Every time we go outside he points and says, "A car!" If we're in a parking lot he'll point everywhere and say it over and over again, "A car! A car! A car!" Sometimes he'll stand at our window, and if he sees one go down the street he'll announce it, "A car!" Because of this, I went through his toys and found all his little matchbox cars, and so far he's done a pretty good job of keeping track of them. They usually stay in a pack, mostly, and he'll pick one up, set it on the arm of the couch, and say "Wee!" as he drives them down and parks them next to each other on the cushion.

"A ball!" is the other phrase I hear. He's got quite a few balls in various makes and types, and he'll bring them to me, just like the cars, and announce, "A ball!" Sometimes if I'm not paying attention, he'll repeat himself over and over again until it reaches my radar, and then I'll respond and he'll move on. "A bowl!" is the newest, less used and often confused with a cup (as stated at the beginning of the post).

It's kind of nice to hear him saying words besides animal noises. Cat, puppy, sheep, horse, goat, bear, duck, chicks, tiger, lion, dinosaur, cow-- he knows them all! While visiting my parents at the end of April, I was trying to get him to go ask his Grandpa for help with something, and I said, "Say Grandpa, Grandpa!" and he responded "Appa appa!" We had such a laugh over it, because it sounds like he's calling Grandpa "Appa" like the bison from Avatar: TLA! We joke that maybe we should come up with a corresponding name for Gramma, and then they can match. Momo, maybe? :)

I feel like I have to be careful, sometimes. If I try to get him to say a word and he doesn't get it, I'll repeat it so he can hear it again. Half the time his face says "Ugh..." and he won't respond to me after that. I have to remember to congratulate him no matter how close (or not) he got, and it seems to make him try harder to say words.

The funniest part of all this is that he will still come up to me and babble nonsense, and we'll have conversations like this. Sometimes I'll babble back, and sometimes I'll just try to keep him going with phrases like "Oh really? And then what happened?". Other times he'll just repeat the same sound over and over again. Case in point: As I type this he's standing behind me on my chair and growling "BA BA! BA BA!" over and over again. (Oh, sorry, now it's changed to "DA DA! AH DA!")

I feel like there's so much to remember, so many things he can do now. It's simultaneously amazing, and annoying (case in point: I'm clearly taking too long writing this, and now he's throwing things and yelling). Our apartment is much too small for his busy body, and rainy days don't help. Good thing he's so darn cute, with his disheveled hair, a bruise on his forehead, and his gap-toothed cheeseball grin... 

Easter Fun -- He Lives!

It's that time of year when bunnies and chicks run rampant alongside kids with multi-colored fingers searching for eggs full of oodles of junk food. For those who are religious, it's also the time for Easter dresses and ties and a church service to honor our Savior. For those who are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, it was also a time to hear our prophet and church leaders speak to us during General Conference.

I love love LOVE conference, and look forward to it every April and October. I'm always excited to hear words of peace, counsel, advice, warning, and comfort. I love the reassurance I get that my Heavenly Father is aware of me and all His children, and that He has placed a prophet on the earth to lead and guide us in these days!

If you want to listen to these talks (or read them!) you can find them at lds.org --you won't regret it!

This year we sent GB on his very first Easter egg hunt.

Which is to say, we set the brightly-colored plastic eggs in the rocks so he couldn't miss them.

I put a few mini marshmallows in each egg and set them out, and he ran down the sidewalk. I pointed out the first one, and he was all over it! Somehow he already knew to open the plastic egg, and once the marshmallows fell out he was in heaven. He stuffed all of them in his mouth and ran for the next one. This kid will do anything for marshmallows!

A few of the eggs I stuffed with jelly beans and a little love note for Husband Man. GB helped to pick up those eggs, but precedence told him that there would be marshmallows inside and next thing we knew he was stuffing jelly beans in his mouth as quickly as his fingers could get a hold of them. All evening he begged us for more every time we tried to sneak a jelly bean!

I love this little guy so much. And I love my Husband Man, who was totally willing to help out with the hunt! It was fun to go outside for a few minutes.

I am so grateful for my family, and that I can be sealed to my family for eternity. I am grateful for the prophet and church leaders who guide us today. I am grateful for my Savior, who rose again on the third day and overcame death and my weaknesses and shortcomings! He Lives!

FHE Monday #9

Yesterday I made rice and meatballs for dinner. It was going to be on time, and it was going to be delicious. I set the gravy on the stove and turned the burner on so it could get warm, and went to sit with Husband Man for a few minutes while I waited.

Then the smell hit me--something was burning. I dashed into the kitchen to see a plastic mixing spoon and a plastic scraper melting on the back burner of the stove. I had turned on the wrong burner and now there was a pool of white, smoking plastic on our rental deposit.

Dinner was not on time. As a result, FHE was late and haphazardly planned. GB was running around like a maniac, so I decided we could have some family time (roughhousing) and talk about families. It's interesting, however, that even though I felt terrible for the burned spoon and even though the apartment smelled absolutely awful and even though FHE was a spur-of-the-moment thing last night... I still felt the spirit and I still learned something.

We sang "Give Said the Little Stream" and said an opening prayer. Then I opened to Genesis 18:17-19.

This verse made me stop and think. The Lord knows my husband and I, that we will command our children and our households to keep the way of the Lord... that the Lord may bring upon us the blessings which He has promised unto us. Isn't that so awesome? I love these promises towards the family. The family is truly a central unit to God's plan.

Husband Man grabbed the Book of Mormon as I read to him, and he turned to Alma 56:47-48.

This is one of the reasons that the story of the Stripling Warriors is one of my favorites. We must teach our children that God is vital to their lives. I've always thought it would be such a blessing to hear my children say that phrase, We do not doubt our mothers knew it. Then I would know with certainty that I had done what the Lord has called me to do. I am so grateful for my family, and that we are able to be together even beyond the grave!

After we read those scriptures we sang a myriad of fun Primary songs with GB, including "Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam" and "Popcorn Popping". When I asked GB if he wanted to sing "Popcorn" he tried to say it and waved his hands. I love watching him do the actions for that song, it is so stinking cute!
"It wasn't really so..." (he points and waves with one finger) "but it seemed to me..." (he points to himself repeatedly with aforementioned finger) "popcorn popping on the apricot tree!" (he flaps his hands in the air)
I love my little boy!

We finished by singing "Families Can Be Together Forever", and said a closing prayer. Even though it wasn't planned very well, I still felt the spirit as we got GB ready to go to bed. I am glad that I remembered to do FHE, because the Lord always blesses us!

Keeping a Calendar... er, Journal

I'm SUPER excited to talk about this idea because I LOVE it!

One of my friends came up with it, so I won't take any credit for it. She posted on facebook a picture of a calendar, and she had written in each square something that her son had done that day (her son is 2), whether it was going to the park or something silly he had said...

At first I wasn't sold. I would go to the store but every time I was about to grab a calendar I talked myself out of it every time. What on earth would I write every day?? Finally, while shopping with my MIL, I gave in and grabbed a calendar. Even if I didn't write every day, maybe I would at least have some of his milestones written down (or new words, since he is just starting to say stuff).

I am SO glad I did it! It has been so much fun to remember silly things GB did or new words he said as I write them into the squares.

 (It's only pink because of February, I promise... No girly calendars for my boy! Haha)

I picked cats because he learned how to say "meow" over Christmas, and at the beginning of the year he got a stuffed cat that he is absolutely in love with (it went to the library with us this morning, for example.) My friend let her son pick his out, which is kind of a memory to what the kid likes at that time.

Ok, so what I will take credit for is that I took it a step further. I love calendars anyways, and we've always gotten one even though we don't even write birthdays on it. This year, however, that changes. I don't write every day (because let's face it, GB is what happens every day) but when someone comes to visit, or when we take a trip, or when there's a wedding/birthday/anniversary/funeral/etc. or even if one of us does something that just makes us feel awesome... I write it on the calendar.

And it's so easy that there's almost no excuse not to do it. I don't usually write every day, but I make myself do it at least once a week, filling in days past by looking at text messages or facebook posts. If I don't want to forget something funny he said or did, I'll make a note of it.

It doesn't eliminate journaling completely, though. If I have a spiritual experience, for example, maybe I don't want it on the calendar. But it does make it easier, and is also a weird exercise in teaching myself to tell stories in a concise manner...

FHE Monday #8

Yesterday I spontaneously remembered to do FHE, which is great because GB is getting older and we really need to be better about doing it. He doesn't really participate in the lesson, but we at least try to do songs and a scripture with him.

We started off by singing "I Am a Child of God", and then prayed. Husband Man said he had an impromptu lesson, so while he got it together I sat down with GB's Book of Mormon board book and we read the story about Nephi building the boat. He barely sat still while I read the condensed version in the book, but then I sang the corresponding verse of "Nephi's Courage" to him, and he grinned and waved his arms in the air. When I finished he made his little "sing a song" noise, (kind of a... whine? "ooh"? but not really? hard to describe) and so I sang the third verse too. Then he played in his play hut while Husband Man and I did the lesson.

We've been reading in Preach My Gospel for companion study, and so Husband Man turned to the Attribute Activity in chapter 6 (page 126). We each had a piece of paper, and we wrote down all the numbers (1-57). The activity is divided up into different sections based on Christlike Attributes (faith, hope, knowledge, etc) and Husband Man said to pick two sections. Then we filled in the responses for each question using the response key. It was a fun but difficult activity! For a few questions I thought, "Oh, I'm all right! Whew!" For a few other questions I felt awful, because being honest with yourself is always awful. On top of it all there were a few other aspects that I hadn't even considered!

But despite it all (or rather, despite the guilt that comes with knowing you are imperfect), the activity really opened my eyes. Sometimes I feel overwhelmed by all of the advice you hear from talks, all the ways you should or can improve, all the steps to take to becoming a stronger disciple of Christ. When I want to sit down and figure out how to start, I can't decide where to start. This activity broke it down into sections, and from there we started with just one. It doesn't matter which one. You rate how you're doing, and then pick one you feel you could do better. It gave a direction for us to go.

If you want to do it, you can read the chapter in Preach My Gospel about Christlike Attributes and then look over the Attribute Activity. The directions are straightforward. You can do the whole thing at once, but I would recommend doing one or two sections at a time. Try not to feel overwhelmed with how good or bad you might feel you are doing, but instead be prayerful in your heart and be honest with yourself. The Lord knows your weaknesses, and wants to help you improve. Satan wants you to feel disheartened and give up. You are a good person! 

After we had finished the activity we sang some silly Primary songs with GB. My favorite is "Popcorn Popping" because he can kind of do most of the actions and it is SO funny to watch him. Then we sang "I Love to See the Temple" as the closing song, and ended with a prayer. I am so happy that we had Family Home Evening this week, because I always feel better about everything when we do! I can tell it strengthens our home for the challenges that we will face this week, whatever they may be.

Gummy Bear: 18 Months

This little boy is simultaneously so funny and so aggravating! One minute he will be running around and having fun, and two minutes later he'll be rolling on the ground throwing a tantrum. He is still just as opinionated as ever, but he's also growing and learning and it is so much fun to watch.

Developmentally he's doing great. For a while I was worried about his speech, since his dad didn't talk until age four, but especially in the last month I'm discovering that he's trying to say things. It really blossomed after both sets of grandparents visited in February, and with each visit I also learned a lot about how to catch on to things he says that mimic actual words. Over Christmas Gma S taught him "uh oh", and since then he's learned "oh no", "mah" (meow), "cack" (quack), "up", "app" (apple), "cah" (car), "ko" (coat), "hi" (or an ultra-squealy version of it, apparently I have a high voice inflection when I say hi to him), and "buh bye" (said only when he feels like it). And last night I think he tried to say "all gone" after he finished his grapes.

He loves to help me with certain chores. When I put clothes in the dryer, I'll drop them down onto the dryer door and he shoves them inside. His current favorite is the dishwasher. He loves to help me unload it, putting the tupperware and his plates and bowls away, and handing the rest to me if he doesn't know where it goes. Lately he's been learning that sometimes we put things inside the dishwasher too, which usually means that when I'm loading dirty dishes he takes all his clean bowls and plates out of his drawer and stuffs them inside too. Its a great lesson to me in patience--they're just bowls and plates, and if they get dirty again then they can be washed again.

It's also super interesting to watch him pick up on stuff that I do every day without thinking about it. He was in the bathroom with me yesterday while I brushed my hair out, and when I put the brush on the counter he picked it up and rubbed it on his head. I found his little baby hairbrush and he refused to let go of it (and so it went to the library with us too). This morning I was putting in my contacts and trying to keep him away from the case, when I caught him sticking a finger in the case and then poking that same finger into one of his scrunched-up eyes. A few days ago he somehow got a hold of Husband Man's thumbdrive, and he took it right over to the computer and was trying to put it in the usb port.

He still loves to run around, and he is all boy for sure. We've managed to get to the park a few times in between winter weather, and he has figured out how to go down the big twisty slide by himself. He always starts with the slides and then begs me to push him on the swings, and I get tired of pushing him long before he gets tired of swinging. We've started volunteering at the YMCA for a free membership, and the nursery has a ball pit that he absolutely adores. He jumps around in it and throws himself into the balls and yells with joy! Then we usually go play in the pool after volunteering, and he has no fear of the water. He splashes and plays and sometimes will beg me to carry him out into the deeper water, where I drag him around and he kicks his feet and makes happy noises until my arms are tired. He hates putting his head back in the water, but mean old mommy makes him try it anyways.

Books are still a favorite, and our library has a small section of board books. He doesn't seem to be very good at branching out to new material unless it has a specific draw (like flaps or touchy-feely stuff) but my SIL says that's a developmental thing. Husband Man and I have been sick of almost every board book we own as GB rotates through which books are his favorites (ie the books we end up reading multiple times a day for a week). He rotates through his toys, too, so even though he has so many he'll find a forgotten one in the corner of his toybox and play with it like he's never seen it before. He also likes the basic matching puzzles; he has already figured out the matching aspect of it and is quickly getting better at working the piece into the space. Sometimes he gets lazy and just sets the piece over the spot, without bothering to put it in properly.

Lately he's been throwing tantrums-- throwing himself dramatically onto furniture or the floor, rolling around, tossing toys as hard as he can, crying, yelling, kicking feet... Yeah. Our tantrum patience wears thin, and he ends up in his room. Sometimes his tantrums make me laugh, because they're just so ridiculous! And he always has to have a tantrum about a quarter to five, every day. That's usually when I'm in the kitchen cutting up stuff for dinner and he decides he has to be held RIGHT. NOW. or else. I think maybe he just wants to see what I'm doing, but it's hard when your kitchen is tiny and you're wielding sharp knives. Sorry kid.

He's opinionated, noisy, fast, and adorable... but this is nothing new to us! We are so grateful to have him in our family!